interpreter
Americannoun
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interpreters
plural
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a person who interprets.
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a person who provides an oral translation between speakers who speak different languages.
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Computers.
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hardware or software that transforms one statement at a time of a program written in a high-level language into a sequence of machine actions and executes the statement immediately before going on to transform the next statement.
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an electromechanical device that reads the patterns of holes in punched cards and prints the same data on the cards, so that they can be read more conveniently by people.
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noun
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a person who translates orally from one language into another
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a person who interprets the work of others
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computing
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a program that translates a second program to machine code one statement at a time and causes the execution of the resulting code as soon as the translation is completed
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a machine that interprets the holes in a punched card and prints the corresponding characters on that card
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Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of interpreter
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English interpretour, from Anglo-French; equivalent to interpret + -er 2
Explanation
An interpreter is someone who translates something to make it understandable, usually spoken language. When your class takes a trip to Russia, you’ll likely have an interpreter to translate Russian to English so you can understand what people are saying to you. Need to talk to someone who doesn't speak your language? You'll need an interpreter. Say you're interviewing a Bulgarian diplomat, but you don't speak Bulgarian. The interpreter would listen to a few sentences in Bulgarian and then repeat them in English, and then listen to your English response and repeat that in Bulgarian. We also use interpreter for artists who represent ideas or places in their work. If you paint industrial cityscapes, you're an interpreter of urban life.
Vocabulary lists containing interpreter
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
That’s one reason federal law requires most providers to make healthcare communication meaningfully available in the language patients understand, via a human interpreter for spoken communication and a translator’s review for written information.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
The accused, dressed in a green prison jumpsuit, was in court where he listened to proceedings through an interpreter.
From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026
“The results, take full responsibility,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
“During the preparation and before the game, then I do get nervous,” Yamamoto said through an interpreter, “but at that time, I personally think that’s very important.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
Through the interpreter he ordered several men to fetch the fuel.
From "Hole in My Life" by Jack Gantos
She said in communities where myths existed around screening, time is also required to explain what is involved and allay fears and potentially work with interpreters.
From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026
What to know: The director Mike Flanagan has become one of the pre-eminent Stephen King interpreters in recent years with his film adaptations of “Doctor Sleep” and “The Life of Chuck.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 19, 2026
The trust has provided guides for patients on how to access interpreting and translation services, increasing the use of interpreters by 50% in one year.
From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026
The officers on the blue vessel spoke English and shouted orders via interpreters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 15, 2026
When I was a boy, amaMfengu were the most advanced section of the community and furnished our clergymen, policemen, teachers, clerks, and interpreters.
From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
